The present invention concerns a fork lift attachment for a vehicle, and in particular concerns a fork lift attachment configured for attachment to a conventional snowplow lifting apparatus on a vehicle, such as are often used on pickup trucks, although the present invention is not limited only to pickup trucks.
Pickup trucks and other vehicles have become an integral and necessary part of farm equipment and construction equipment. For example, a truck can carry substantial loads between remote locations relatively quickly. However, it is not always convenient to load items into or take items out of the back of a truck. Further, it is not always convenient or easy to back up a truck to a desired location since visibility can be obstructed by items in the back of the truck. Still further, backing up a truck can be difficult for individuals who do not do this on a regular basis, or for persons who are not limber enough to turn around and look rearwardly while backing up the truck.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,421,449 to Cotton, a fork lift attachment is provided for attachment to a conventional snowplow lifting apparatus on a vehicle. The fork lift attachment includes removable tines that have a U-shaped bracket on one end for removable attachment to a frame of the fork lift attachment. However, the tines must be lifted off of the frame, and placed in a pocket for storage. As a practical matter, the tines may not always be easily removed from engagement with the frame if the U-shaped bracket becomes bent or corroded, or if foreign material builds up on the frame or on the U-shaped bracket. Further, there is a risk that the U-shaped bracket will only partially or incompletely engage the frame, thus leading to potential safety problems. An even more serious problem is inadvertent disengagement of the tine from the frame, such as when driving over a bump or pothole. Also, when the fork lift attachment of Cotton is raised to the maximum position, the tines are at such an angle that it is difficult to slide loads off of the front end of the tines.
Thus, a fork lift attachment solving the aforementioned problems is desired.